A North Apollo reader wrote to ask for insights into the problems he was seeing on WPXI's newscasts: "I am a long-time watcher of WPXI for news [and] I've noticed lately A LOT of graphics errors, delays in music cues, errors in videotaped segments and delays in feeds to live interviews."

He was not the only one to notice. Last Tuesday morning's 6 a.m. news was a mess -- anchors looking like deer in the headlights as shots failed to switch; the image of an empty weather desk; an "Ellen" promo that froze on screen.

Another reader suggested several funny scenarios for the problems, but this is a case of a Hal 9000 run amuck.

I'd heard a few weeks ago that WPXI was installing a new automated production system, and that is indeed the culprit.

Channel 11 news director Corrie Harding said the new system is called Ignite and is also in use at KGO in San Francisco and KABC in Los Angeles. He acknowledged there have been glitches, both technical and due to human error, that are common in implementing any new system. He said WPXI wanted to try the system now, before it moves to its new building in September, so there will be fewer new things to get accustomed to all at once. Ignite is scheduled to take control of the evening newscasts tomorrow.

Harding said no one has lost a job to date because of Ignite, but some employees have been "reallocated to other departments."

For more answers to viewers' questions, visit TV Q&A.